Method and machine for printing pile fabrics



A. F. McCOLLUM. METHOD AND MACHINE FOR PRINTING-FILE FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1920.

1,377,088. V Patented May 3,1921.

bay/ F110 50 WVW A. F. McCOLLUM.

METHOD AND MACHINE FOR PRINTING PILE FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. 1920.

1,877,088. I Patented May 3,1921.

' @TFg METHOD AND MACHINE FOR PRINTING PILE FABRIQS. I

Application med May 13,

To all whom it may cow/061ml:

Be it known tl" at I, ALFRED F. MoCoLLUM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in .Bloomsburg, Columbia county, Pennsylvania, haleinlented the Method and Machine for Printing Pile Fabrics, of which thefollowing is a specification.

One object of 'thlS invention is to provide a novel method of andmachine for applying coloring matter to pile and flat fabrics such asrugs, carpets and the like, whereby such material shall be transferredto or delivered to the greater part of the length as well as to the endsof the pile fibers or threads, or if the fabric be of the flat weavetype, to the body of the fabric, with a view to producing a clear,ermanent desi which will be retained with practically 1ts fullbrilliancy for the life of the fabric.

My invention further contemplates a novel method and machine forprinting a continuous length of woven fabric either uncolored or havingbut a single color so that after treatment it may be cut into a seriesof lengths or sections each constituting a complete article ofmanufacture having any normally colored design, the coloring materialbeing applied to the main or body portions as well as the outer part orsurface of the fabric.

My invention further contemplates a machine of the above noted typewhich shall include means for propelling through it the length of fabricunder treatment so arranged as to engage said fabric at predeterminedpoints between successive printed sections so that the latter are notinjured by said means. Another object of my invention is to provide afabric printing machine which shall, while utilizing an intermittentlyacting apparatus for applying coloring material, be capable of includinga continuously acting device for distributing the previously appliedcoloring matter in accordance with the invention.

These objects and other advantageous ends I attain as hereinafter setforth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which, 7

Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a length Specification of LettersPatent.

Fig. 3; and

Patented May a 1e21,

1920. Serial No. 381,027.

of pile fabric in which a part is shown as having been printed inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, to some extent diagrammatic, illustratingthemachine forrnlng part of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation illustratmg the action of part of themachine;

Fig. 4 is a'vertical section of a body of fabric also'to some extentdiagrammatic and on an enlar ed scale, further illustrating theoperation 0 my method and machine; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view,

illustrating the action of the parts shown in Figs. 6 and 7 arerespectively a vertical section and a plan, both to some extentdiagrammatic, showing the construction of the propelling apron ,andcertain of its associated parts.

l have discovered that coloring matter such as it is possible to employin the color designs of textile fabrics such as rugs, carpets, velvetsand the like, can be successively applied to or made to take upon theentire length of the pile fibers as well as upon their ends or upon thebody or base portions of the fabric by first applying said material tothe ends of the fibers or surface of the fabric and then subjecting ittoa rolling action so that the coloring material that each fiber oradjacent series of fibers carries on its endsor outer surface isdelivered to the body portions of one or more other fibers all the wayfrom the basestructure or body of the fabric in which it is held, to itsown color bearing end. Thereafter when the fibers are permitted orcaused to return to their original straight positions substantially atright angles to the plane of the body of the fabric, each of them hasthe color material upon it for its entire length and this quiteregardless of its length.

In carrying out my invention on a commercial scale I have found itpossible to weave a fabric in. the form of a continuous length of webpreferably divided by headings into a succession of sections constitut'have different colors applied to them in the form of a predeterminedornamental design,

the machine as usual merely depositing the colored materials in a liquidor semi-llquid condition upon the end portions or surface of the fabric.1

Thereafter the printed length of fabric is run through a machine wherebyif it has a pile, its pile fibers are successively bent over so that theend of each of them with its globule or small mass of coloring materialis drawn over or applied to all or a part of the projecting body portionof one or more other pile fibers so asjto transfer to it a greater orless amount of said material, and this operation may be repeated anydesired or required number of times necessary to color each fiber forits entire length, after which the fabric may be subjected to anyfurther treatment necessary to fix the coloring material or otherwisefinish the treatment in any of the ways common in the rug or carpetprinting art. In the case .of a fabric of the flat weave type the colorcarrying threads oryfibers are s ueezed out or flattened so that thecoloringv material is delivered to the body or lower portions of thefabric. o

In carrying out my invention I preferably weave a continuous length offabric so that it consists of a series of sections 1 separated byrelatively narrow headings 2 I indicated at 1 and may be separated bycutting through their heading portions 2.

In order to apply the coloring matter as above indicated I supply alength of fabric'3 from a source such as the roll 3 and pass it throughany suitable machine 5 for applying coloring material in the form ofornamental designs. This machine in the present instance is illustratedas having a frame 6 including supports for an endless driving band orapron 7 having propelling pins or other devices '2" mounted on its crossrails 7 and projecting at such intervals as to engage only the headingportions 2 of the web 3 between printed portions thereof. The printingmachine illustrated includes a series of vertically reciprocatingcarriers fl supporting printing blocks 4? for applying the coloringmaterial to the fabric in the desired designs and said material issupplied to the blocks from fountains 8 or the like in th: manner wellunderstood in the printing ar As illustrative of the detail constructionof a machine which may be utilized for printing a fabric as indicated,that described and claimed in the patent t WilliamH.

Wgldron-#1,145,821, dated July 6, 1915, will produce the desiredresults, so that the length of material is intermittently delivered fromthe machine with the coloring material applied in the desired designs toits pile or other surface or to the ends of the pile fibers and inamounts regulated to obtain the desired results when the fabric.

is subjected to the treatment hereafter described.

From the machine 5 the printed fabric 3 is allowed to fall in a loop orloose length,

from which it passes over the surface of a the fabric and deposit thisWithin suitably mounted receptacles 14.

In Fig. 5 I have diagrammatically illustrated the operation upon a pilefabric of the color distributing machine constituted by the rollers 9,10, 11 and 12 and from vthis figure it will be seen that a series ofpile fibers as a running transversely of the length of the fabric as itpasses from the machine 5, carries on its outer surface a mass or film bof coloring matter. Hitherto, it has been found impossible to cause thismaterial to completely and uniformly penetrate the body of the pile soas to color the'bodies or entire length of the successive serles of pilefibers, although when in accordance with my invention, a series offibers such as that indicated at c is engaged by or comes into contactwith the roller 10 or equivalent pressure device, it is inclined from aposition at right angles to the body of the fabric so that some of thecoloring material carried by the ends of its fibers strikes and istransferred to some of the fibers of the adjacent series a at pointsbelow their ends.

As each series of pile fibers is more and more bent over toward the body15 of the fabric, the film of coloring material carried by, its ends issqueezed into or delivered to the hitherto uncolored bodies of thefibers of one or more adjacent series as indicated at d, e, f, and g1.As the fabric passes out from between the rollers 9 and 10, each seriesof pile fibers h, i, j and k, by reason of its natural elasticity,returns toward its original position perpendicular to'the body or back15 andI have noted that each of said series is then completely coloredfrom the ends 'to the bases of its pile fibers.

After being subjected to steaming and other treatments well known inthis art, the finished fabric is found to be printed with the desireddesign which extends all the way from the top of the pile to the basethereof.

Similarly flat weave fabrics such as tapestry or roundwire fabric may beadvantageously treated according to my invention as above described forthe coloring material is thus transferred or caused to penetrate thebody or filling threads so as to cause the color design to be present inor applied to all or any desired part of the fabric structure Iri orderto carry out my invention I preferably apply the coloringmaterial in alather-like condition, so that it is transferred from the printing,blocks to the fab ric in a film of any?"'desired thickness. Whentherefore the printed fabric is subjected to a subsequent rollingoperation,

- there is suflicient coloring material present to penetrate andcolorthe entire body or any design.

It is to be noted that if and when desired the amount of appliedcoloring may be increased either by providing .a number of rintingblocks to apply the same color or By so operating the machine as tocause one or more blocks to make a plurality of impressions while thefabric is held from forward movement. I c1aim':- 1. The method whichconsists in applying coloring material to the surface of a ,1 pilefabric; andthereafte mechanically op-' erating on the pile of saidfabric to cause-- such coloring material to be transferred from the endsof its pile fibers to the bodies thereof.

2. The method which consists in applying colorin material to the endportions of the pile o a pile fabric; and thereafter bending the p1lefibers of said fabric to cause coloring material on theend's thereof tobe transferred to the bodies of adjacent pile fibers.

3. The method which consists ,in printing pile fabric in acoloreddesign; thereafter operating on the fibers constituting said pileto cause coloring) material carried by their end portions to e appliedto the body lportions of adjacent pile fibers.

he methodwhich consists in printing a colored design on a pile fabric;and there. 'after subjecting the ile of the fabric to a rolling actionto ben its fibers and to bring its end portions into proximity tothebody portions of other pile fibers so as to transfer coloringmaterial to the latter.

5. The method which consists in intermitsively desired part thereof,with the applied tions whereby coloring material upon theend portions ofits :fih'ers is transferred to thebodies thereof.

7. The method which consists in succesrintin the sections of a length ofpile fa ric with the same colored design; and thereafter subjecting saidfabric to an operation whereby its pile fibers are inclined to causetheir color bearing end portions to be brought adjacent and transfercoloring matter to the body portions of other pile fabrics.

8. The method .fi tvhich consists in applyingcoloring material to thesurface of a.

fabric; and thereafter mechanically operating on said fabric to causesuch coloring material to be transferred from its surface to its mainportions.

9. The method which consists in rinting a design on a fabric; and thereaer subjecting said fabric to a rollin transfer the material of said itssurface to its inne portions;

fabric to a rolling operation to cause the material of said film topenetrate its body.

12. The combination of means for applying .colorin materialto the endportions of the pile of a pile fabric; and means for bending over thefibers of-said pile to cause coloring matter carried'by the end portionsto be transferred tothe body portions of other fibers. I

13. The combination of an intermittently acting machine for printing adesign on the pile of a .pile fabric; with a continuously acting devicefor causing the coloring matter deposited by said printing machine to beapplied to the body portions of the pile fibers of said fabric. I

14. The combination of a machine for printing a colored design on a pilefabric; a

supporting structure for receiving-the fabaction to esign from coloringmatter carried by their endportions to be transferred to their bodyportions.

15. The combination of a machine for printing colored designs. on pilefabric with a main supporting roller and at least one roller mounted tocooperate with said main roller to bend over the pile of the fabric andto cause the coloring material on theend portions of its pile fibers tobe transferred to the body portions thereof.

16. The combination of means for applysurface to the interior portionsof said fabric. 1

17. The combination in a fabric printing machine of printing blocks; aweb propelling apron having cross members; and pins in said membersositioned to engage portions of the fabric lyinlg between the portionsoperated-on by sai blocks.

ALFRED F. MGCOLLUM.

